1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a function extraction method and apparatus for extracting a desired system function based on an icon, etc., selected on the display of a computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In one of extraction systems for extracting a desired system function by selecting an icon from an icon group displayed on the display of a computer system, an icon representative of an operand function (object) is overlapped upon an icon representative of an operator function (subject) for executing the function.
In the system, for example, a "document" icon indicative of a document file is overlapped upon a "trash box" icon indicative of deletion, thereby extracting a function of "deleting the document file". The operation executed by overlapping the icons corresponds to such a daily operation as "putting an unnecessary thing into a trash box", and also corresponds to the operation of "taking something out of the trash box".
Accordingly, where two "things" are combined with each other in daily life, it depends upon the circumstances which one of the two things is the operator (or operand) and which is the object of working. For example, in the combination of a "pencil" and a "container", the function of "writing in an index" is recalled if the "pencil" is the operator and the "container" is the operand, whereas the function of "containing the pencil" is recalled if the "container" is an operator and the "pencil" is an operand.
In the conventional function extraction system using icons, however, it is determined whether each icon has an operator function or an operand function, so that it is difficult to perform such a flexible function extraction as is suitable for patterns of thought and behavior in daily life. Thus, knowledge concerning a desired icon operation to be extracted must be acquired newly.